Reps. Crow, Deluzio, Porter, and Sarbanes Introduce Legislation to Close the Pop-Up PAC Loophole

WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06), Co-Chair of the End Corruption Caucus, alongside Representatives Chris Deluzio (PA-17), Katie Porter (CA-47), and John Sarbanes (MD-03) introduced the Stopping Hidden Interests and Non-disclosure in Elections Act (SHINE Act). This legislation closes the pop-up PAC loophole by amending campaign finance law to require political committees acting on behalf of or in opposition to candidates to disclose contributions of $1,000 or more within 48 hours if received within 20 days of an election. 

Current campaign finance rules allow big money donors to create shady, last-minute super PACs just weeks before an election and delay disclosing donors until after the 20th of the following month – long after the election has been held. Voters are left in the dark, and as the strategy of making donations to more extreme candidates of the opposing party in their primary continues to grow, special interest groups often use this loophole to shield their motivations and mislead voters.

“Dark money donors backing extreme candidates continue to hide in the shadows because of loopholes in our campaign finance laws," said Congressman Crow. “Sunshine is the best disinfectant – and the SHINE Act would bring much needed transparency by requiring these pop-up PACs to report contributions long before the final ballot is cast. Enough is enough, it’s time to end dark money’s influence and strengthen our democracy.”   

“Secret, dark money in campaigns lets powerful corporations and interests have too much power over our elections and weakens folks’ trust in government,” said Congressman Deluzio. “It’s ridiculous that these dark money groups can pour millions into campaigns right before an election and don’t have to file disclosures until after. I am proud to work with Representatives Crow, Sarbanes, and Porter to close this loophole and keep pushing to get dark money out of our elections.” 

“Voters deserve to know before they cast their ballot when special interests and wealthy donors are trying to sway an election,” said Congresswoman Porter. “The SHINE Act would close a loophole that allows super PACs to spend millions before an election without disclosing who is bankrolling their efforts. Americans need that transparency to make informed choices at the ballot box and elect candidates who will work in the interest of the people, not shady donors.”

“Americans deserve transparency and accountability from beginning to end in the electoral process,” said Congressman Sarbanes. “Under current law, however, Pop-Up PACs can funnel millions of dollars into campaigns in the final weeks before an election while evading disclosure of their funding sources until after all votes have been cast. By closing this loophole, the SHINE Act will shed light on dark money in our politics and, along with other critical disclosure reforms, help ensure voters are able to make fully informed choices about who will best represent their interests – not the special interests – in government.”

This legislation is endorsed by End Citizens United//Let America Vote Action Fund, Public Citizen, and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). 

“The American people have a right to know who is attempting to influence and buy their votes—and to have this information before an election,” said Tiffany Muller, President of End Citizens United // Let America Vote Action Fund. “By requiring high-dollar donations to be disclosed within 48 hours, the SHINE Act would provide voters with crucial information––and close a major loophole in our broken campaign finance system. We applaud Representatives Crow, Deluzio, Sarbanes, and Porter for their continued leadership in ensuring our elections are transparent and fair.” 

“The SHINE Act offers a desperately-needed disclosure requirement for outside electioneering groups. Many political operatives seek to pour last-minute money into elections and often are not required to disclose the sources and targets of those funds until after the election, when the information is no longer of much use to voters. This measure would mandate that these last-minute cloaked groups immediately disclose where the money is coming from and how it is being spent before voters cast their ballots,” said Craig Holman, Ph.D., Public Citizen.

"It's far past time for Congress to close the loophole that allows newly-registered super PACs to disclose their donors weeks after an election," said Debra Perlin, Policy Director at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). "By exploiting this gap in our laws, these organizations can pour money into an election while hiding their motivations and ideology. That's why CREW strongly endorses the SHINE Act, which would close this loophole by requiring these political committees to disclose contributions of $1,000 or more received within 20 days of an election within 48 hours, giving the public a real understanding of who is trying to influence them." 

As Co-Chair of the End Corruption Caucus, Congressman Crow has been dedicated to combating the impact of dark money or undisclosed campaign funds and advocating for needed reforms to safeguard the democratic process for US and Colorado voters. Recently, Crow offered amendments to remove anti-democratic, dark money riders from this year’s Financial Services and General Government spending bill after House Republicans chose to protect special interests and mega-donors over strengthening our democracy. 

Read the full text of the legislation here.